Petunia plant named &#39;Petpistri&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new  Petunia  plant particularly distinguished by its trailing, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit, freely branching habit, freely flowering habit, single flowers that are mid pink in color with deep rose veins, and good garden performance.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Petunia hybrida

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘Petpistri’

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant botanically known as Petunia hybrida and referred to by the cultivar name ‘Petpistri.’

The new Petunia is the product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new Petunia cultivar is freely flowering with trailing and spreading plant habit and attractive leaf and flower coloration.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the inventor in July 1999 of a proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida identified as code number ‘W0967,’ not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida identified as code number ‘Y0894,’ not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Enkhuizen, Netherlands in May 2000.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings since August 2000, in Enkhuizen, Netherlands has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar ‘Petpistri’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Petpistri.’ These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Petpistri’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Trailing, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit

2. Freely branching habit

3. Freely flowering habit

4. Single flowers that are mid pink with deep rose veins

5. Good garden performance

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristic:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are slightly mounded whereas plants of the female parent selection are very flat and trailing.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

1. Plants of the new Petunia have pink flowers with deep rose veins whereas flowers of the male parent selection are pink without the veins. TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW CULTIVAR ‘Petpistri’ AND A SIMILAR CULTIVAR Surfinia Crazy Pink ‘Sunrovein’ (U.S. Plant ‘Petpistri’ Patent No. 16,468) Flower color Mid pink with deep rose Deep rose with purple veins veins Flower shape Multiflora type, with petals Grandiflora type, with petals that are rounded at the end that are pointed at the end Plant habit More mounding More trailing

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The observations and measurements describe plants grown in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, practice circumstances outdoor in window boxes during the Summer with day temperatures ranging from 14 to 30° C., night temperatures ranging from 10 to 20° C. Plants used for the photographs and description were about 10 weeks from planting rooted cuttings.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   The plant: -   Classification — botanical: Petunia hybrida. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida             identified as code number ‘W0967,’ not patented.         -   Male parent.—Proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida             identified as code number ‘Y0894,’ not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.— Summer and Winter: About 12 days at             20° C.         -   Time to develop roots, summer.—About 21 days at 20° C.         -   Time to develop roots, winter.—About 28 days at 16° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially             upright, then trailing and outwardly spreading; uniformly             mounded plant form. Freely branching habit; about six to             eight basal branches each with about six to eight lateral             branches. Pinching enhances development of lateral branches.         -   Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio             containers, and landscape applications.         -   Plant height.—About 17 cm.         -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 75 cm.         -   Vigour.—Vigorous; rapid growth rate. -   Lateral branches:     -   -   Length.—About 30 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 4 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 3-4 cm.         -   Texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—146D (with some anthocyanin). -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate before flowering; opposite after             flowers develop; simple.         -   Length.—About 3.5 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.6 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Broadly acute.         -   Base.—Broadly Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Sparsely pubescent;             glandular.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.— Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface:             146A Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower surface:             146B Venation, lower surface: 146C.         -   Petiole length.—About 2 mm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 3 mm.         -   Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces.—N144A.         -   Petiole texture.—Sparsely pubescent. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single salver form flowers; flowers             face mostly upward; axillary. Freely flowering habit, about             four open flowers and about two flower buds per lateral             branch at a time.         -   Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; long             flowering period, spring until frost in the autumn;             flowering continuous during this period. Plants start             flowering about eight weeks after planting rooted cuttings.             Flowers persistent.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About seven to ten days.         -   Fragrance.—Faint, sweet.         -   Flower size.— Diameter: About 5 cm Tube length: About 2.5 cm             Throat diameter, distal end: About 1.2 cm Tube diameter,             proximal end: About 2.5 mm. -   Flower buds:     -   -   Length.—About 3.7 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 7 mm.         -   Shape.—Elongated oblong with ruffled apices.         -   Color, basal part.—77B. -   Petals:     -   -   Quantity/arrangement.—About five petals fused in a single             whorl, funnel Form.         -   Length from throat.—About 2 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.8 cm.         -   Shape.—Funnel shaped.         -   Apex.—Broadly acute.         -   Margin.—Entire, undulate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, velvety.         -   Color.— When opening, upper surface: N74B, venation 61B When             opening, lower surface: 75B, venation N144A Fully opened,             upper surface: N74B, venation 61B Fully opened, lower             surface: 75C, venation N144A         -   Flower throat (inside).13 160D.         -   Flower tube (outside).—151A.         -   Venation, throat.—59B.         -   Venation, tube.—151B. -   Sepals:     -   -   Arrangement/appearance.—Single whorl of five sepals fused at             base, star-shaped.         -   Length.—About 1.4 cm.         -   Width.—About 2 mm.         -   Shape.—Ligulate.         -   Apex.—Rounded.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Pubescent.         -   Color, upper surface.—146A.         -   Color, lower surface.—146B. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length.—About 2.2 cm.         -   Width.—About 1.6 mm.         -   Angle.—About 45 to 60° from the stem.         -   Strength.—Strong.         -   Texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—146C with some anthocyanin. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Stamens, quantity per flower.—About five.         -   Anther shape.—Ovoid.         -   Anther size.—About 2 mm by 2.2 mm.         -   Anther color.—158A.         -   Pollen amount.—Much.         -   Pollen color.—158A.         -   Pistils, quantity per flower.—One.         -   Pistil length.—About 1.8 cm.         -   Style length.—About 1.5 cm.         -   Style color.—N144A.         -   Stigma shape.—Anvil-shaped.         -   Stigma color.—144A.         -   Ovary color.—144C. -   Seed development: Seed development has not been observed to date. -   Disease and pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Petunia. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to     have good garden performance. Plants of the new Petunia have been     noted to tolerate rain, wind, and temperatures from 0 to 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct variety of Petunia plant, substantially as illustrated and described herein. 